Chapter 5: Settlement

Feng Shaojun suddenly turned around and caught Feng Shaozhu's greedy gaze that she couldn't retract in time. She tugged at the corner of her mouth, smiling ambiguously, "Why is Fourth Sister looking at me like that?"

Feng Shaozhu blushed at first, but quickly regained her composure, "Shaojun Sister is exceptionally beautiful, and I was momentarily stunned by her beauty."

Feng Shaojun, well-versed in the art of infuriating people to death, pretended to be coy and smiled, "Fourth Sister, why praise me like this? I am just slightly taller, slightly slimmer, slightly fairer, and with slightly larger eyes than you."

Feng Shaozhu: "..."

Feng Shaojun carefully examined Feng Shaozhu's sulking expression and then said with a smile, "Actually, Fourth Sister is also very beautiful. It's just that she uses a bit too much rouge and powder."

Feng Shaozhu, annoyed and embarrassed, glared at Feng Shaojun, "I don't care, it's none of your business."

Feng Shaojun, with an air of magnanimous elder sister, didn't bother to argue with Feng Shaozhu's sulking, "If Fourth Sister doesn't like to hear it, I won't say it."

"Before I came to the capital, my grandmother prepared a lot of top-quality rouge and powder from the Jiangnan region for me. I can have them delivered in half a day. I'll send you some then."

Feng Shaozhu was extremely annoyed and snorted, "I don't want it."

Feng Shaojun smiled leisurely, "I meant well, but Fourth Sister doesn't appreciate it. Well, I'll give your share to Second Sister then."

Feng Shaozhu: "..."

Feng Shaozhu was fuming with anger.

Feng Shaoju, who was following behind, lowered her head and suppressed a smile.

This new Shaojun Sister was really quite interesting.

Feng Shaolan stood by and watched the commotion, showing no intention of intervening. She had often clashed with Feng Shaozhu, and she was delighted to see Feng Shaozhu lose face.

Madam Yao, feeling sorry for her daughter, quickly intervened with a smile, "To the left from here is Shaolan's Shao Hua Garden, and to the right is Shaozhu's Qing Yu Garden. There are also two smaller courtyards in between. Shaoju lives in the Ju Xiang Courtyard, and the He Xiang Courtyard has always been kept for you."

The young ladies of the Minister's household each had their own courtyard.

Even Feng Shaoju, who was born of a concubine, was treated the same way. She also received a monthly allowance of ten taels of silver.

This amount of silver was enough for an ordinary family to live on for a year. However, for the pampered young ladies, it was not enough to buy a box of high-quality rouge and powder.

Both Feng Shaolan and Feng Shaozhu had their mother's private funds to supplement their allowance, but Feng Shaoju, being born of a concubine, had a mother who had fallen out of favor and was often ill. Feng Shaoju secretly saved her monthly allowance to support her mother.

As they chatted, everyone entered the Ju Xiang Courtyard.

Although small, the Ju Xiang Courtyard had everything, including rooms, guest rooms, and servants' quarters. In the small courtyard, there were some flowers and a cassia tree.

Madam Yao led Feng Shaojun around and finally entered the east wing room, saying, "This is the east wing room. Settle in first, and if you need anything, just let me know."

In her previous life, she had lived in the Ju Xiang Courtyard for over a year, until she got married.

Returning to the old place, Feng Shaojun didn't feel any nostalgia. She glanced around casually and replied with a smile, "Thank you, Aunt-in-law."

Aunt-in-law...

Madam Yao pursed her lips and coughed, softening her tone, "Shaojun, although your father was adopted into the second branch, that's all in the past. You are my niece by blood, so just call me Aunt."

"Madam Yao is right," Madam Zhou chimed in with a warmer smile, "There's no need for formalities like Aunt-in-law or Second Aunt-in-law. Just call me Grandmother directly."

"We are all family, no need to be so formal."

Feng Shaojun smiled faintly, "I understand the closeness and distance between us very well."

Madam Yao: "..."

Madam Zhou: "..."

Madam Yao and Madam Zhou were taken aback by Feng Shaojun's words and felt a bit embarrassed, each coldly snorting in their hearts.

This Feng Shaojun!

For now, let her be arrogant for a few days. Her "good days" are still ahead when she is betrothed to the Prince of Qin.

"Get settled in first," Madam Yao said with a forced smile, "and when we have the family banquet tonight, let Shaolan take you over."

Feng Shaojun agreed with a smile.

After Madam Yao and the others left, Jixiang, who had been holding her breath, let out a long sigh and anxiously whispered, "Miss, I was really scared just now. Madam was so angry. Aren't you afraid?"

Feng Shaojun casually asked, "What is there to be afraid of?"

Jixiang was at a loss for words and scratched the back of her head. After a while, she said, "Miss is younger, and contradicting elders like that might tarnish your reputation."

In the Great Qi Dynasty, there was a strong emphasis on respecting elders and filial piety. If a reputation of being unfilial spread, how could she marry into a good family in the future?

Feng Shaojun tugged at the corner of her mouth and said slowly, "Don't worry! This won't spread. Grandmother cares more about my reputation than I do."

Jixiang didn't understand the deeper meaning behind her words.

Oh well. There's no need to ask if she doesn't understand.

As long as Miss knows what she's doing.

Jixiang's greatest virtue was her obedience. She quickly put the matter out of her mind and eagerly said, "Miss's clothes and luggage are still behind. I'll go check if the storage room is spacious enough."

Feng Shaojun nodded casually, not dampening Jixiang's enthusiasm.

Feng Shaojun led Jixiang back to the mansion, with more than a dozen carriages of clothes and luggage still behind!

Feng Shaojun didn't pay attention to Jixiang's excitement and simply nodded.

In her previous life, on her first day back at the mansion, Madam Feng had put on a tearful performance of a touching reunion between grandmother and granddaughter. Today, Madam Feng was so angry that she almost spat blood, so she probably didn't have the mood to have a "heartfelt farewell" with her.

...

Bang!

A muffled sound came from the Yonghe Hall.

"Really infuriating!"

Madam Feng became more and more angry as she thought about it, and couldn't help but slam the table again. Her palms were red from the force: "This brat, sharp-tongued and disrespectful, always talking back to her elders, completely lacking in manners!"

"If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have been soft-hearted and let her go to the Cui family in the first place! Look at what kind of character she has been raised into now!"

Mrs. Xu, who was standing nearby, spoke gently to comfort her: "Madam, please calm down. The third young lady is still young and ignorant. If she stays in the mansion, you can slowly teach her manners, and she will naturally learn."

Mrs. Xu, with half-white hair and nearing sixty, was Madam Feng's trusted confidante and caretaker. Now that Mrs. Xu was getting older, she had long put aside all the trivial matters and spent her days chatting with her mistress.

Madam Feng snorted heavily and a fierce look flashed in her eyes: "Indeed, she needs to learn some manners."

Otherwise, with this appearance, she wouldn't be able to show her face in front of the Queen of Qin.

Although the little prince of the Qin Mansion was a sickly child, he was a legitimate imperial grandson and naturally attracted the attention of families who wanted to climb the social ladder.

It was not an easy task to catch the eye of the Queen of Qin.

Mrs. Xu knew Madam Feng's thoughts well and said in a low voice, "The third young lady's appearance is truly outstanding. When I saw her today, I felt a sense of brightness."

"I dare to say something bold, the third young lady's beauty surpasses that of the late Third Lady Cui."

Beauty has always been a woman's greatest asset.

Madam Feng detested the deceased daughter-in-law, Lady Cui, to the core. As soon as she heard Lady Cui's name, she immediately furrowed her brow. After a moment, she relaxed and said, "Well, I will put more effort into teaching and guiding her in the future."